Empowered to Share the Gospel | Acts 2:1-21
Read Acts 2:1-21
We continue to ask the question: “How do we reach new people with the good news of Jesus?” Last week we learned that to grow in our discipleship journey with God we must have our focus on God—we must be looking at Jesus as our top priority in our life. After we have our Faith in Christ we must then Grow in Christ. The discipleship journey entails faith, grow, serve and share. This isn’t a linear path rather these steps are interconnected with one another.
How do we grow in Christ? This answer can be found in the book of Acts, specifically in Acts 2 where God empowers His leaders to go out and share the gospel with the world.
The book of Acts is the historical account of the beginning of the church. Acts is our history as the church and marked a new beginning for God’s people.
“Imagine what it would be like if the book of Acts wasn’t in the bible…How did the gospel get from Jerusalem to Rome? The book of Acts answers these questions. Acts may be called ‘how they brought the good news from Jerusalem to Rome.”
--William Barclay
“That expansion from Jerusalem to Rome is a remarkable story. Honestly speaking, Christianity, had nothing going for it. It had no money, no proven leaders, no technological tools for propagating the gospel. And it faced enormous obstacles. It taught hard truths to the unregenerate world. It was subject to the most intense hatreds and persecutions.”
--John Montgomery Boice
The church shouldn’t have been built—it had so much opposition and this unstoppable movement/ community called “the church” started in Acts 2 with a spark from heaven on an important festival day for the Jewish people.
- The disciples were called to wait for God’s perfect timing—they obeyed and waited for God.
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.”
--Acts 2:1
Two things are happening in this sentence. The disciples are waiting for God’s instruction that was given in Luke 24.
“Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’”
--Luke 24:45-49
Jesus ascends into heaven in Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:9-11. Just before Jesus ascends into heaven (in front of the disciples eyes); He takes the time to remind the disciples of what is to happen within the next few days:
“He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’”
--Acts 1:7-8
Jesus makes it very clear: Holy Spirit Baptism is not about salvation; the disciples weren’t saved when they were baptised in the Holy Spirit rather they had already been following God. This special baptism was to give them God’s empowerment to then become witnesses in sharing the gospel in Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth. God has empowered them to do ministry and to build the church.
The disciples waited for God’s perfect timing—what was the meaning of that timing? God waited until the festival of Pentecost to birth the Christian church under Christ.
Pentecost Sunday:
-A festival also called “the feast of weeks” or/ and “Shauvot” that commemorated the giving of God’s law (the ten commandments) 50 days after the Exodus from Egypt.
-It was a thanksgiving, pilgrimage festival meaning the Jewish men would travel to Jerusalem with their first fruit baskets to observe the worship in the temple.
-God chose this festival to bring Holy Spirit baptism to His people (and to build His church) for a few reasons: Jesus Christ has fulfilled OT prophecy and brought in the New Covenant; He has fulfilled the law and now there is a new agreement being brought in.
-Some see the two loaves of leavened bread that were to be a wave offering as foreshadowing the time when the Messiah would make both Jew and Gentile to be one in Him (Ephesians 2:14–15). This is also the only feast where leavened bread is used. Leaven in Scripture is often used symbolically of sin, and the leavened bread used in the Feast of Weeks is thought to be representative of the fact that there is still sin within the church (body of Christ) and will be until Christ returns again.
- Holy Spirit Baptism equips the Church with the confidence and ability to go out and share the Gospel of Jesus with the entire world.
Acts 2:2-13
God breathes Life Into the Church (Acts 2:2-3):
Wind: πνοή pnoḗ means breath, breath of life. The description of the Holy Spirit Baptism is that of God breathing out life into the room. This is similar language to Genesis 2:7.
“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
--Genesis 2:7
The person of the Holy Spirit is breathing life into this room; it comes as a mighty wind, a move from heaven. Where God once breathed life into Adam now God is breathing life into His church. The tongues of fire signify that God’s presence is no longer reserved just for the temple; rather it resides in each once of His believers.
God gives His Disciples the Means to Share the Gospel (Acts 2:4-12):
Can you imagine speaking in a language you have never learned before? Never practiced? Maybe even never heard? This is what happened in the upper-room as all of these men started speaking in different languages. What is amazing is that they start to recognize the languages—languages from different regions.
“’And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs –we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.’”
--Acts 2:8-11
This is a miracle given to the people of God in this moment so they can go to these regions and share the gospel, win souls and build churches that will worship God. What better way to win people to Jesus than learning their literal language? It is clear that this Holy Spirit gift was given after Holy Spirit baptism throughout the history of the church during this time because Paul addresses tongues in his 1st Letter to the Corinthians.
“Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit, he speaks mysteries. But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying.”
--1 Corinthians 14:1-5
Acts 2:1-21 isn’t just about the gift of tongues—the focus isn’t tongues rather the focus is the Holy Spirit Baptism for ministry. The result of that baptism is the spiritual gift of tongues which is what gives them confidence and ability to share the gospel around the world.
God confused the language of the nations in Genesis 11:1-9. The world had one language but they became unified in their pride thinking they didn’t need God. God’s judgement on the world was to create diversity, to split them up and create different languages so they couldn’t understand each other.
“So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
--Genesis 11:8-9
The gift of tongues isn’t about creating more confusion, more side-show style antics. It isn’t about creating chaos, rather tongues are God unifying His church, His people. He gave them back the languages in which He had once taken away—why did God do this? To bring more people to Him. To show people who truly is in charge—God is in control.
- Don’t be afraid to share the gospel! Because God fulfills His promises.
Don’t be afraid to share the gospel! Don’t be afraid to use your gifts! Peter stands up after Holy Spirit Baptism and starts one of the most famous sermons known to humankind.
Acts 2:14-21
Peter edifies the church and reminds them of God’s OT promise found in the book of Joel. He directly quotes Joel 2:28-32.
“It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all [b]mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions. “Even on the male and female servants. I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” –Joel 2:28-32
Look what Peter says as God now has fulfilled this promise given to the Israelites in a time of famine caused by locusts.
“For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel…Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”
--Acts 2:15, 22-24
Imagine how exciting this was for everyone in that room. Imagine knowing this prophecy, growing up with this prophecy and now you are a part of the fulfillment of this prophecy! No wonder these men had the confidence to share the gospel, no wonder they risked their lives to bring God’s good news to the ends of the earth. How do we grow in Christ? We obey His commands. We spend time with Him and we go out and do ministry with Him. Doing God’s ministry means working together, edifying each other, prayer with each other and then going out to share the gospel—TOGETHER.